Basics - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 80

MYANMAR'S GAY SHAMANS
Despite being widely ignored or villified by conservative Burmese, gay men (as well as
transgendered women and male transvestites) in Myanmar have found an unlikely niche in
one of the country's most traditional religious settings through their role as nat kadaw . A
kind ofBurmese shaman, nat kadaw (literally “nat wives”) serve as mediums forthe coun-
try's revered pantheon of nats , entering trances during which the spirit of any one of the
various nats takes possession of their bodies.
Nat kadaw weretraditionallywomen,withtheprofessionbeingpasseddownfrommother
to daughter, but over the past thirty years their places have increasingly been taken by gay
men. Male nat kadaw will dress either as a man or woman depending on the identity of the
nat currentlypossessingthem-andevenwhenidentifyingwithamale nat ,theywilltypic-
ally wear sumptuous clothing, with considerable quantities of make-up. The fact that such
overt gender-bending is generally accepted most likely derives from the nature of natpwè
themselves. These are typically raucous, carnivalesque affairs during which large quantit-
iesofboozeareconsumedandthingsdonewhichwouldnotbeconsideredentirelyrespect-
ableinmoreworkadaysettings( nat kadaw themselvestypicallydrinkandsmoketheirway
into a state of high intoxication in order to best communicate with the spirits of the nats ).
The TaungbyoneNatPwè isparticularlywellknowninthisrespect.Althoughnotinany
sense a specifically gay festival, the pwe nowadays attracts large numbers of LGBT locals
and travellers alike - and the nat kadaw are particularly flamboyant.
Insurance
It'sessential totakeout insurance beforetravelling, tocoveragainsttheft,lossandillnessor
injury,althoughbeawarethatsomeinsurancecompaniesdonotoffercoverageforMyanmar,
whether for the country as a whole, or for specific areas that your home government advises
against visiting. A typical travel insurance policy usually provides cover for loss of baggage,
tickets and - up to a certain limit - money, as well as cancellation or early curtailment of
your journey. Most of them exclude so-called dangerous sports unless an extra premium is
paid: in Myanmar this might mean scuba diving, trekking, rock-climbing and mountain ex-
peditions. Many policies can be chopped and changed to exclude coverage you don't need -
for example, sickness and accident benefits can often be excluded or included at will. When
securingbaggagecover,makesurethattheper-articlelimit-typicallyunder£500-willcov-
er your most valuable possession. If you need to make a claim, you should keep receipts for
medicines andmedical treatment, andintheeventyouhaveanythingstolen,youmustobtain
an official statement from the police.